After remaining clean for five years, India saw an outbreak of avian influenza or bird flu in the eastern states early this year. But this time there is the threat of a possible new virus circulating in the environment. Over 6000 crows have died across several states. Only 20 samples have shown up positive for bird flu. The rest have died of unidentified causes. After ignoring the problem, the government is now moving quickly to work out an emergency outbreak plan to identify the virus and contain the epidemic.
